5 PGA Players that can Win a Major Tournament in 2018
The PGA Tour season is nearing its end and this year’s tour has thrown up plenty of golf surprises.
The 2017 PGA majors have seen their fair share of shocks, and none were more breathtaking than Sergio Garcia’s playoff win at this year’s Masters.
It was the Spaniard’s first ever major win after toiling for years to accomplish the feat.
Garcia had already put together a stellar career in golf, but his Masters win was the icing on the cake.
Next year’s majors may be several months away, but there are already a number of PGA professionals that have the potential of taking top-prize at one of the tour’s elite competitions.
Past winners and those that have never sampled the sweet taste of a major victory are all on the cusp of a golf career defining tournament win.
Who could win one of the PGA’s major tournaments in 2018?
Here are five professional golfers ready to make history.
Jon Rahm – Currently ranked 6th
By now, a lot of golf fans are sick of hearing about Jon Rahm, but the 22-year-old has continued his meteoric rise this season.
Rahm notched two wins in his belt this year with first place finishes at January’s Farmers Insurance Open and July’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Open.
Rahm is still raw, but has an unbelievable drive that sets him up perfectly for an improving short game.
It is that rawness and mental game that has prevented him from playing well at this year’s major tournaments, however.
He finished 27th at the Masters before missing the cut at the US Open.
The British Open wasn’t much better as he ended the tournament 44th.
Despite his major woes in 2017, it is just a matter of time until he wins his first, and 2018 looks even brighter for Rahm golf career defining moment.
Rickie Fowler – Currently ranked 10th
Rickie Fowler falls into the category of professional golfers who have played well, but not well enough to win a major.
Fowler’s best performances to date were his second-place finishes at the 2014 US Open and The Open Championship.
In fact, 2014 was Fowler’s best year in major tournaments as he ended each in the top five.
Fowler won this year’s Honda Classic in February, but he has faced a trophy dry spell ever since.
The 2018 majors could see Fowler rebound from what could be classed as a disappointing year.
Dustin Johnson – Currently ranked 1st
Dustin Johnson is the No. 1 golfer on the PGA Tour, but his 2017 major performances have been dire.
Johnson withdrew from the Masters after suffering a back injury when he fell down the stairs at his rented home in Augusta.
Things didn’t get much better as he missed the cut at the US Open and finished 54th at Royal Birkdale in England in July.
Before his back injury, Johnson had been playing great.
He won three tournaments between February and March, and a case can be made that he would have won a major this season.
Some time off this fall should help Johnson and his golf career recover fully. He could be back and better than ever in 2018.
Hideki Matsuyama – Currently ranked 3rd
Hideki Matsuyama is one of the more consistent players on the PGA Tour.
The Japanese golf star picked up two wins this season with the first coming in February at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and the second in August at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.
His majors’ performances in 2017 have been stellar as he sandwiched a second-place finish at the US Open between 11th and 14th place finishes at the Masters and The Open Championship, respectively.
Matsuyama is on the verge of winning his first major event, and his consistent play is bound to see him top one of the four tournaments very soon.
Rory McIlroy – Currently ranked 4th
The 2017 season hasn’t been kind to Rory McIlroy as he is the only PGA golfer to make this list without recording a win in 2017.
Other than missing the cut at the US Open, McIlroy’s major’s performances have been steady.
The Masters saw the Northern Irishman finish seventh and he turned in a fourth-place performance at The Open Championship in England.
Since the start of 2017, McIlroy has only played in nine tour events; but he registered top 10 finishes in five of those competitions.
Similar to Matsuyama, McIlroy has been consistent, and that steady play should pay off for him in 2018.
Of course, golf is a very difficult sport to predict when it comes to the major tournaments.
With just one major tournament victory and performing well at a major event can keep a player on the tour for years to come.
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